The “Expert” Panel 2017 – Reviewing Norway

The ESC United “Expert” Panel is back. The Editorial team got to enjoy all 43 entries of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, review and rank them accordingly. Needless to say, this is all subjective and you may totally disagree with us. There is a reason we put quotation marks down. Which is why we included a poll and in the end we’ll compare the reader’s results to our results. So check out our comments first and the scroll down to vote in the poll. Let’s get rollin’!

Norway: JOWST- Grab The Moment

David – 10 Points
OH FREAKING YEAH! This is the song of the year for me! The beat is fire! This song has all those elements in it that I just love when listening to music. A catchy tune, a crazy good beat, up-tempo and fast lyrics. Thank you so much Norway, for hitting the spot, at least on me. Alexander singing those killer lyrics and JOWST in the background with the mask. I’ve got to say this, but I don’t get how people can hate on this one. I fairly understand that not everyone likes the same style of music, so to those who think I might be a bit crazy for loving this song, then don’t mind me sitting in a corner, listening to this all that I want.

Romeo – 10 Points
This is in my top 5. I think this is great! I would not be surprised to hear this on the radio in the UK. Norway have made a great choice this year. I am happy to say I think they will be back in the final. The song is great and the performance is great. There is nothing negative I can say!

Stefan – 10 Points
This is my #1 song this year! 🙂 I love the rhythm, the vibe, I hope they will keep the performance similar and hopefully somehow make it even better in Kyiv.

Sean – 9 Points
Yeeeees! This is what Eurovision needs! I hope that JOWST and Alexander can pull this off live without breaking EBU rules with the vocal samples, because this is bang up to date and would slot in to my everyday listening perfectly. It’s infectious and catchy, toe-tappingly good, full of positivity and above all, different. Praying for Norway to get the attention and praise it deserves this year. Comfortably in my top ten.

Zack – 9 PointsI was not expecting myself to like this song as much, but it’s a welcome surprise. It’s very Sublime plus Twenty-One Pilots, but much more mainstream and pop-friendly. This hits all the right notes, with the exception of that awkward middle-eight that actually comes very late into the song. Otherwise, the voice, the production, and everything else are golden!

Nenad – 9 Points
This song tackles an important social issue, I mean, I really love the story behind the song and it won me over after the very first listen. Positive fact about JOWST is that they have a strong connection to the audience. Those glittering masks and a main performer; ‘Grab The Moment’ is a modern song with memorable performance. I really enjoy listening to it.

Matt – 9 Points
Grab the Moment definitely grabbed my attention immediately, there is something really slick about it. It makes me wanna dance, it makes me want to crank up the volume and most importantly, it makes me wanna actually pay attention. I’m a little worried it’s not going to have an immediate impact but if this qualifies from the Semis, it could go really big in the Finals. The bridge is just mind-blowingly good, I’m a happy camper.

Calvin – 9 Points
This one doesn’t get enough credit for the punch of its opening. The rhythm gives a few nanoseconds at a time of silence, and it’s quite effective in setting the mood of the song. The real highlight here is Aleksander Walmann’s vocal performance on the song – he sets this apart from other songs of its type by giving a strangely sincere and touching vocal. The only problem is the problem that the distortion in the instrumental breaks may pose in a live setting.

Ferdi – 8 PointsNorway is here to start a party! And how! Norway has made a turnaround of 180 degrees compared to last year in sending Grab the Moment. JOWST bring an insanely fun entry to the stage. It’s upbeat, catchy and guaranteed to get everyone singing and dancing along.

Gerry – 6 Points
I didn’t like this song at all at first, as I felt it had a difficult time standing out in the rather weak Norwegian selection this year. However, JOWST and Aleksander have won me over. I usually don’t go for EDM, but this song has a great structure and a catchy tune that makes its way into my head every now and then. I love the lyrics: they’re very smartly written, rhyme and rhythm complementing the DJ’s track. Aleksander sells the song really well with his attitude: cool and confident, yet sincere and relatable.

Robert – 5 Points
I initially really didn’t gel with this, but after a few listens I am beginning to get into it. It has a jolly upbeat vibe to it which works well and definitely gives me Guy Sebastian vibes in the feel of the song. I can see it doing well in Kiev with the right staging. However, it kind of all goes down in the final minute where there’s this weird almost rap-esque part which just does not work at all for me and kinda ruins the song for me. There’s just not enough elsewhere in the song that I like for me to be able to cope with it. It’s a shame as it’s a decent and well produced entry, but I just keep coming back to that part and I am afraid I cannot see past it.

Final Score: 94

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This is the current ranking of the Panel, you can see all Reviews by clicking HERE.